A New Era
by NalaStormhunter
Summary: The End of the Rebellion has come at last and the new Republic has been formed. For the first time in four years, a group of rebels is meeting. Will they finally work out all their differences?
1. Chapter 1

Title: A New Era

Summary: The war is over, and the New Republic has been formed. It's been four years since these old battle hardened friends have met, now some new surprises bring them back together. Can they all put aside their differences to help build this new Era together?

Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars, though I wish I did. There would be more Twi'leks if I did. The characters in this story, other than obvious canon characters, belong to me and my friends.

It was a beautiful spring morning on the small mid rim world of Kettiv IV, and Rona Stormhunter had spent most of it in the 'fresher, being sick in the toilet. It was the fourth morning she had been like this, and she knew Darren would start harping on her to go see the base doctor the minute she stepped out of the 'fresher. She had tried to calm her husband's worries, telling him that it was only food poisoning, but he still insisted, and she had agreed if she hadn't felt better this morning, she would go see Uncle Finnegan. Finally feeling like she wasn't going to be sick anymore, she flushed the toilet, and began to wash up. Maybe Darren was right, and something was seriously wrong. Leaving the Refresher, she walked into the hallway, and heard Darren talking to someone on the hololink.

"I think I just heard her come out, let me go check." Darren poked his head out into the hallway and smiled. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey yourself, handsome. Someone on the 'link?"

"Yeah, but it's a surprise, and I'm not going to ruin it. You're going to have to come in here and see for yourself. And after that, it's straight to Finn, you hear me?"

She mock saluted him. "Yes sir, Commander, Sir." She walked into the communications room, and halted at the doorway, shocked. It was Kaala, her closest friend. "Kaala!" The Twi'lek exclaimed. She raced over so the young woman could see her. "My goodness, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. It's been nearly four years! Last I heard, you and Merran were on a mission with Skywalker, looking into clues on the Jedi."

"This is true, we were, but something came up and we came home early." Kaala said, her lilting voice barely containing some secret. Her smile was contagious, and her soft eyes could have lit up the room by themselves. "That is why I am calling you. I was hoping you and Darren could perhaps come to Coruscant for a little reunion of sorts. That is, if you are feeling okay? What is this about seeing the Doctor?"

"Well, I think it's nothing, but I've been nauseous the past four days, which usually culminates with me getting sick in the 'fresher all morning. I think I ate a bad Nerf steak, and that it will clear up soon, but Darren's worried, and I know he won't feel better until I see Uncle Finn about this. Still," She paused, smiling, "I think we can manage a trip to Coruscant. After all, you're not telling me something, and from the smile on your face, I can tell it's big. And if I know you, nothing I say will get you to tell me. So, reunion of sorts…I take it you mean the whole gang." She paused. "Is Da—I mean, is Drogo going to be there?"

Kaala nodded. "So it is back to Drogo again?" She crossed her arms, and looked at her friend skeptically. "Do not tell me that you two still haven't spoken to each other? Like you said, it has been nearly four years; surely he has gotten over you marrying Darren."

Rona looked down, a little sheepish. "I don't know; I haven't really had the guts to call him and find out. He really didn't take the engagement too well, Kaala. Remember? He wouldn't even come to the wedding? Uncle Finn had to walk me down the isle. The man who raised me since I was six years old couldn't be bothered to watch his daughter get married to a low life scoundrel, as he was fond of calling Darren. I don't know what he had against him."

The human girl shrugged. "I am not sure myself. Anyone could tell that Darren loves you more than life itself. And everybody knows how crazy you are for him. Still, it is very upsetting to see you to fighting for so long. Perhaps this reunion is long overdue. There are things that need to be sorted out between alot of us. Namely you, and…" Kaala muttered a name and looked around as if she hadn't said anything.

Rona groaned. She didn't have to hear the name to know who her Jedi friend was talking about. She ran a hand down her face. "Oh no, Devona's gonna be there? I think I'm going to be sick again."

"Rona, please." She held her arms out, trying to calm her younger friend. "I could not invite Ram without inviting her, it would have been rude. Besides, most of the group has put their differences with her in the past. Even Nicca has forgiven her, and he was the one that Devona was after in the first place."

"Kaala, first, she held me hostage, then she nearly killed me when she cut the stabilizer fin off my swoop, and then she nearly BLEW ME UP! That's not a good start to any relationship."

"Yes, well, she cut off Ram's arm, and now they are married. Why can you not let the past go, Rona?"

She sighed. "Because I've lost my past once, and I never want it to happen again."

"I beg your pardon? I do not understand."

"Look, remember when we met up three years after our first grand misadventure? You asked me how I had been during those years, and I said Drogo had stopped letting me go on missions because of one bad one? The real reason he was afraid to let me go was because…well, on that botched mission, I suffered a severe head injury. I was in a coma for two weeks. When I woke up, I had amnesia." She took a deep breath. Rona seemed to find something just to the side of the hololink very interesting. "I mean complete amnesia. If you had come to visit for, oh, I think it was six months after the accident, I wouldn't have even known you. I still can't remember anything that happened before I was six. It's been almost seven years since then, and I don't have any hope of remembering my mother, or my life with her. All I have are stories that Drogo said I told him when he first started taking care of me."

"I am sorry, Rona, I did not know. Why did you never tell me?"

"I don't like to think about that time of my life. It's the only thing I want to forget." She sighed. "I won't promise anything other than this, I won't start anything with her. But if you're asking me to forgive her, well, that may take a while still. That was my favorite Swoop she ruined." A broad smile lightened the dark mood that had descended on the friends.

"I will take that as a step in progress." She smiled again. "It has been good to talk to you again, but I still have to get in touch with Nicca and get him to come. It should not be too hard since he lives here on Coruscant. I cannot believe I convinced Six-deeeight to come along. He must be as anxious as I am to see everyone again. I will see you soon?"

"We'll try to leave today or tomorrow. That being said, we should be there in two to four days. See you soon, Kaala." She cut the transmission. She began to play with one of her Lekku head tails that cascaded from her head. Seeing her old friends excited her, but she wasn't sure if she were ready to deal with her father yet.

"Are you sure you're ready to deal with Drogo?"

She started, and looked over her shoulder. "Dammit, Dar, how long have you been standing there? And quit reading my thoughts. It's intrusive."

He tilted his head from side to side. "Oh, for most of the conversation. It's not intrusive if you're projecting them for anyone who's Force sensitive to pick up on it." He stood up from the door frame he had been leaning on. "I'm proud of you by the way. It's about time you told your friends about what happened. You know they must have suspected all these years." He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. His Lekku reached out to find hers. He wanted this moment to be close, and intimate. "I'm serious about the Drogo thing. You two haven't spoken since the engagement. And if I recall, you both said some pretty harsh things to each other. I believe…'I never want to see you again as long as you're married to that low life scoundrel' and 'As far as I'm concerned I don't have a father' were some of the nicer sentiments that were shared?"

She sighed. "Don't you think I've regretted that conversation? I've missed my father. I mean, so much has happened since we've gotten married, and I haven't been able to tell him any of it. I can't even tell him that Luke has offered to train us both as Jedi recently, and that we accepted. You know that was his one wish for me? He's always known I was Force sensitive, and has been biding time, waiting for someone to arise to train me, like he said my mother said would happen. I want to hear his voice again, even if it is only one more time." She felt the tears start trickling down her face. "I want to ask him why. Why he--"

Darren wrapped his arms around his wife, and held her close to him. "I'm sure he had his reasons. He may not have been your biological father, but that never stopped how he felt about you. I don't think he meant those things he said at the engagement party, either." He patted her on the back, then held her at arms length, so she could look him in the face. "Now, how about we go see the doc, and figure out what's wrong with you?"

She smiled. "I still think there's no need, but okay." They both left the room, and headed toward the base, their head tentacles still intertwined behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm WHAT!" Rona exclaimed, sitting up on the examining table, eyes wide. Darren had heard the news, and promptly passed out into the chair behind him.

"All the tests have come back positive, Rona. You're gonna be a mother." He handed her a bottle. "This should help with the nausea and vomiting until it goes away in the next…oh, two to three months. Usually by the end of the first trimester, the morning sickness goes away. Warm milk and crackers will also help to ease your stomach." He smiled at her and grasped her shoulder. "I can't believe that my little niece is going to be a mother. Where's the little seven year old who thought boys were icky?"

"She grew up. I'm twenty one now, remember? Not to mention married for four years." She sighed. "One more big life event that Drogo isn't here for. Probably be furious about that too."

The Firion doctor shook his head. "Rona, you haven't even tried to contact him, how do you know how he's going to react? It's been four years. I'm sure he's calmed down since then."

"Then why hasn't he gotten around to talking to me? Why do I have to make the first step?" She lay back down on the table. "Maybe this is my fault. Maybe I should have apologized a long time ago, just so he would walk me down the isle, like he promised he would."

Finnegan sighed as he moved over to try to bring Darren back to consciousness. The Twi'lek man was tough, and had seen a lot in the Rebellion, but for some reason, he was really squeamish about blood, and didn't take shocking news too well. He chuckled a little at the thought of Darren in the delivery room. Finn grabbed some smelling salts and held them under Darren's nose.

Darren gasped, and sat up. He looked at his wife, who was lying on the bed, quietly laughing at him, to Finn, who just shook his head. "I passed out again, didn't I?"

Rona nodded. "Yeah, you did, sweetie. It's okay, I won't tell the Rogues you can't handle shock too well."

He ignored her. "She's really pregnant, Finn?"

"Yes, Darren."

He got up and walked over to her. He kissed her forehead. "We're going to be parents! This is wonderful news! I can't wait to tell the Rogue Squadron! Wedge is going to flip out! Not only did I get married before he even found a girlfriend, but now I'm going to be father now. I'm going to be a father!" He kissed her again. "You must really be excited now about the reunion. Now we have a surprise for Kaala!"

"A reunion? I take it the whole gang is getting together?" Finn asked as he handed Rona her clothes. He turned around to give her some privacy as she changed out of the hospital gown back into her purple top and black leather shorts. "What's the occasion?"

"You remember Kaala?"

"Wasn't she the genetically engineered Jedi that you guys found when you rescued the Senator?"

"Yeah, although she's not a full Jedi yet. Well, she and her boyfriend have some news they want to share. I think I have an idea, but I don't want to say anything."

"Why not?" Darren asked. "Surely you can tell me." He blinked his eyes pleadingly.

Rona laughed, and shook her head. "Now, now, Kaala deserves to surprise somebody. And besides, I don't even know if I'm right."

"Okay, keep your secrets."

"So, is General Stormchaser going to be there?" Finn asked.

"Oh, for Force sakes, Finn, he's your brother," Darren said, "you could at least call him by his name."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "You didn't answer my question."

Rona nodded. "Yeah, Finn, he's going to be there."

"Well, be sure to give him my regard," he said, writing something down on his chart, "I don't think you should leave today. In fact, as your doctor, I'm ordering you to bed rest for the rest of the day. You can leave tomorrow for wherever you're going for this reunion."

"Yes, sir," Rona said, resigned. She had hoped to be able to leave today, and get there a day or so early to spend some time just her and Kaala. "I'll try to pass on your message to Drogo, but I can't guarantee he'll even talk to me."

"I wouldn't be too worried if I were you," Finn said as he left the room.

Rona looked at Darren and shrugged. Finnegan wouldn't explain what he meant by that, and Rona wasn't really thinking about that. She was so excited about the prospect that she was pregnant that she soon forgot the cryptic message her uncle had said at their parting. She allowed Darren to lead her back to the house and their room.


	3. Chapter 3

Finnegan Stormchaser watched his niece and nephew-in-law head back to their house. He shook his head again. "Like father, like daughter. Why am I cursed with such stubborn relatives?" He took off his lab coat, and headed toward his speeder. Wedge Antilles had told him an interesting rumor about who was staying at the local hotel in Desperanda. The second of the blue suns was finally reaching zenith in the violet sky. It was already noon, and Finn knew it was a good thirty minutes just to reach the outskirts of the space port city. If his plan was going to work, he had to leave now. This person he was hoping to meet was more stubborn than his niece.

The drive to Desperanda was uneventful, and soon he could see the two story hotel looming in front of him. Despite being the space port city of the planet, it was still a very small city, barely larger than towns on other planets. The two story hotel was all it needed for the travelers that passed through on their way to bigger and more populous planets. Parking his speeder, Finn stepped out and headed inside.

The atmosphere inside reminded him of most Cantinas he had been in; smoky and dark. Taking a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the lower light, he began to scan the area for the general. He didn't take long to find him. Firions were rare in the galaxy, so they tended to stick out in a crowd. The dark blue alien was bent over the bar, as if trying to hide how tall and muscular he really was. Finn walked over, and tweaked the dreadlock-like head tentacles as he slid into the seat next to general. "You know, it's barely noon, General, perhaps you could hold off on the drinking till after five. Might make you less conspicuous."

"Finny, why do you still insist on calling me general?" The Firion asked him, setting his drink aside, and grabbing a handful of beer nuts.

"Because you still insist on being a stubborn idiot, sir. And the brother I know is stubborn, but not an idiot." Finn ordered a glass of water, and took a handful of nuts himself. "Honestly," he said around the nuts in his mouth, "I'm surprised you actually came. When Wedge told me you were here, well, I had to see it for myself."

"Why were you surprised, Finny? You're the one who invited me out here, and frankly, I'm curious as to why." He took another drink, ignoring the glare from his older brother. "As you still insist on calling me everything other than Drogo, it's obviously not a social visit. So what's this about, i _Doctor /i _?"

"I think you know." Finn took a drink from his water, giving a sidelong glance at his brother.

"Well, I'm an idiot, remember? Perhaps you could enlighten me."

Finn slammed his glass down. "It's been four years, Drogo. She misses you."

"Really? She hasn't exactly been breaking down my door to try and patch things up. As I recall, she was the one who told me that she didn't have a father anymore."

"And as I recall, she only said that after you called her fiancée a low life scoundrel, and would have nothing to do with her until she broke up with him." He turned to face his brother. "What do you have against the boy, anyways? Before he started seriously dating Rona, you had nothing against him. In fact, as I remember, you once called him a better man than you were. After all, he stayed with Rona during the hardest time in her life when you couldn't take it anymore."

"I have my reasons." He threw another handful of nuts in his mouth, and washed them down with his Correlian whiskey.

"You know she cried at her wedding?"

Drogo shrugged. "Don't most 'blushing brides' cry at their weddings?"

"Yes, but she cried because you weren't there to walk her down that isle. Devona showed up to her wedding, and Rona can't stand her! But the man who raised her couldn't be bothered to even show up."

"I was there," he muttered.

"I mean, she was hoping up to the last minute—wait, what? You were there!" Finn grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at him. "You were there, and you didn't say anything! You're daughter's day was pretty much ruined because all she could think was that her father wanted nothing to do with her, and you were there! I was wrong. You're not an idiot, you're an incorrigible bastard! How could you show up and not say anything?"

"I didn't think she would want to see me. I thought I would ruin her day if I did let her know she was there." He turned and ordered another whiskey. "She looked beautiful, didn't she? I think I realized then she wasn't my little girl anymore." He shook his head, and took his drink in his hand. "Not mine, not anymore." Finn couldn't be sure, but he swore he saw a tear form in Drogo's eye as he downed the whiskey.

"What are your reasons for hating Darren? You have told me everything before, why is this any different?" Finn said, letting go of his brother. "Has he done something that has led to this belief that he's not good enough for Ronnie?"

Drogo sighed. He set his glass down. "No, he hasn't done anything. It's just…look, you have to promise not to judge, okay?"

"Have I ever, i _ever /i _judged you before? I think you're an idiot, and you really screwed things up with you and Ronnie, but you are still my kid brother, and no matter what you've done, nothing will change that."

Drogo took a deep breath. "It's a feeling. A strong feeling that Darren is going to break Ronnie's heart. I don't want to see her get hurt, that's all."

"A feeling?"

"You said you wouldn't judge."

"I'm not judging. I'm just wondering…how reliable are your feelings? I mean, have they ever been wrong?"

"Well, yes, once."

"And this one couldn't be wrong? There's not a chance that this one is wrong too?" Drogo Shrugged. Finn nodded. "But you're willing to ruin your relationship with Rona on the off chance that this one isn't wrong?"

"I said it was wrong once, Finny. Most of the time they are right on the mark. But," he reluctantly added, "I suppose I shouldn't judge too harshly until I've seen them really together. I really fucked things up, didn't I?"

Finny nodded. "Yeah, you did. And it's time you fixed this up." Grabbing his younger brother by the arm, Finnegan began to drag Drogo out of the hotel bar.

"Hey, wait, you're not….please tell me you're not dragging me to the homestead!" He downed his drink, and used his free hand to toss a few credits at the bartender. He hoped that would be enough to cover his tab.

"Of course I am. Why do you think I brought you here?" Finny said, opening the door, and stepping into the brighter daylight. He squinted as his eyes adjusted once again to a different light setting. "I'm sick and tired of you two moping about this four year feud. Both of you want it over, but both of you are too stubborn to do anything about it. You're waiting for the other to make the first move." He flung Drogo onto the speeder. "Well, I'm tired of waiting, so I'm making the first move for you. I deliberately told her not to leave for Coruscant till tomorrow. You are going to set things right, and you're going to do it today. Now, get in the speeder." He waited until his brother climbed in. then he too hoped into the speeder, and gunned the engine.

"What makes you think I'm wrong?" Drogo said after ten minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Remember Mom and Dad?"

"A little."

"Well, I remember more. I remember how much they were in love with each other. They acted like newlyweds, even though they had been married for years."

"Yeah, and…"

"Darren and Rona are the same way. They've been seriously dating for seven years, and married for four of those years, and they still act like they're on their first real date."

"Okay, I get it. They are right for each other. I was acting the Nerf's ass." Drogo watched the woods pass by. Had it really been almost five years ago that he and Rona were chasing Devona through them, trying to rescue Kaala and Nicca? Back then they were such a team. Now, they hadn't spoken since the she had gotten engaged. Was it really that he thought Darren would hurt her, or was it that he wasn't ready to let her go? "Wait, what did you mean you ordered her to stay at home today? You couldn't tell a superior what to do unless…unless she came to you medically." He turned to Finnegan, his eyes full of concern. "What's wrong? What happened to her?"

"It's nothing that I can tell you. Patient confidentiality, you know. But you shouldn't be concerned. She's not seriously hurt or anything."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Look, if it was something serious, don't you think I would tell you as her father? Just trust me, Dro. You don't need to worry."

"Okay, I'll trust you, but I've had way too many secrets to deal with since Kaala's call earlier."


	4. Chapter 4

Darren kissed Rona's forehead again as he adjusted the covers around her. "Can I get you anything, Ronnie?"

"Well, while you were passed out, Uncle Finn suggested warm milk would help my stomach."

Darren rolled his eyes. "You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

She tilted her head to one side, her eyes rolled up to look up at the ceiling like she was thinking. She looked at him with an impish look. "Nope, not a chance. But I really want some warm milk." She pouted out her lower lip, and blinked her eyes pleadingly.

"Hey, no fair!" He laughed. "You know I can't resist that face."

"Why do you think I use it?"

Still smiling, he leaned in close, and whispered something in Ryl. She smiled again, and said in reply, "Isn't that how I ended up pregnant in the first place?"

He gave her his best innocent look. The door chimed at that moment. Both of them rolled their eyes. "Of all the…" He groaned. "I'll go see who it is. I hope for their sake it's not a salesman."

"Maybe you should answer the door naked?" she asked hopefully.

He gave her that look. "You just want a better look at my ass, don't you?"

"Hey, in my defense, it's a nice ass."

"I'll be right back with that warm milk as soon as I get rid of whoever's at the door." He headed out of the room, and closed the door. Going down the stairs, Darren thought about how great the day had been so far. This day just couldn't get any better. He opened the door saying, "Whatever you're trying to sell, we don't want an—" He stopped before he could finish the sentence, because he saw who was standing at the door, looking like he would rather be a thousand light years away. "Well, today certainly is a day for surprises. Hello, Drogo," he said coolly.

"Darren," his father-in-law answered. "How have you been?"

"We've been good. You?"

"Surviving." He ran a hand through his head tentacles. Drogo seemed very fascinated with his feet all of a sudden. "So, uh, guess you're wondering what I'm doing in this neck of the galaxy."

Darren leaned on the door. "I have a pretty good idea. After all, you haven't called me a low life scoundrel or, you know, tried to punch me in the five minutes we've been making small talk."

"I deserved that. I haven't exactly been the, uh…well."

"Look, if you're looking to apologize, don't. Not to me. I'm not the one who you hurt." Darren said. "I understand a father thinking no one is good enough for his little girl; I saw it happen between my Dad and older sister. Ronnie's your little girl, and always will be, and I'm not good enough in your eyes. But you went too far, Drogo. Way too far. Then to have the nerve to show up for the wedding, and not even let her know you were there. That was a pretty shitty thing to do. And to be perfectly honest, I don't know if I can forgive you, so don't try with me. Rona, however might."

Drogo cringed. "You knew I was there." It was not a question.

Darren nodded. "Yeah, I did. So did Ronnie. You forget, man, we're Force Sensitive too. We felt you, even if we didn't see you. She cried so hard that night she was sick. It made her believe all the more you wanted nothing to do with her."

"Darren!" Rona's voiced drifted down the stairs. "Who's at the door?"

"We have a visitor, sweetie." He called back, not taking his eyes off Drogo.

"I'll be down in a moment."

"No, wait there. I'll bring him up." Darren looked at Drogo. If eyes were laser beams, Drogo would have been well done. "I'm going to take you to her. If you upset her…if you leave her in tears, and I don't mean the good kind, well, if I were you, I would start making up excuses as to why you won't be at the reunion."

Drogo took a step back. He had never seen anyone--other than Finn and himself--get that overprotective of Ronnie. He nodded. "Seems.." He cleared his throat. "Seems fair enough to me."


End file.
